Press Releases

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after he took the oath of office for his third term in the U.S. Senate. Thune was first elected to the Senate in 2004 after defeating a sitU.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after he took the oath... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it had made appointments to the Small Community Air Service Working Group that originated in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, of which... Continue Reading

Below are several legislative accomplishments that U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) led, authored, or co-authored during the 114th Congress (2015-2016). During the 115th Congress, which begins on January 3, 2017, Thune and his Senate Republican colleagues will continue fighting to make America’s economy stronger, the government more efficient and accountable,... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which will bring lifesaving drugs and devices to market more quickly, as well as boost cancer and Alzheimer’s disease research, provide grants to states to fight opioid abuse, and much more. Thune... Continue Reading

U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and John Thune (R-S.D.), and Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today met with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald following his Nov. 30, 2016, visit to the Hot Springs, South Dakota VA campus. During the meeting,... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed the remaining items the 114th Congress will tackle this year, including the National Defense Authorization Act, which is important legislation that would provide our troops with the resources they need to keep Americans safe. Thune also discussed two important issues that Republicans plan... Continue Reading

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) issued the following statements after the House passed Thune and Heitkamp’s Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2016 (S. 3395), bipartisan legislation that would require collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and local officials before initiating a prescribed burn on USFS... Continue Reading

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined 21 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter, led by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), to President Obama requesting the administration stop issuing non-emergency rules and regulations in the final weeks of his term. Thune and Rounds stressed to the... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after the Senate last night approved H.R. 1561, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2016, by unanimous consent with a Senate amendment. The bill, as amended, which Thune and... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Republican-led Senate voted to reauthorize sanctions against Iran through 2026. “Iran’s attempts to test the United States and destabilize the Middle East must not go unchecked,” said Thune. “The Obama administration’s flawed nuclear deal with Iran has failed to... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after the Surface Transportation Board (STB) published its final rule on performance data and metrics reporting requirements for Class I railroads throughout the United States. The final STB rule makes permanent... Continue Reading